Spectrofluorometric Assays of Human Collagenase Activity Using Native Collagen and Acetyl-Peptide Substrates

Abstract

A selective, sensitive, and convenient assay for human collagenase is required because of its implication in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and tumors. Here, a novel assay for human collagenase activity is described in which enzymatic degradation of native collagen or acetyl peptide is determined by using a fluorogenic reaction for oligopeptides. The oligopeptides are quantified spectrofluorometrically with either 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid or 1,2-dihydroxybenzen reaction in the presence of sodium periodate and sodium borate (pH 7 - 8). These reactions can selectively convert N-terminal Gly-containing oligopeptides and N-terminal Ile-containing oligopeptides to fluorescence (FL) compounds, respectively, but not proteins, acetyl peptides or amino acids.